What did Harry Reid really say about Iraq?

[Fridays Child]

"Now, I believe myself that the secretary of State, the secretary of Defense -- and you have to make your own decision as to what the president knows -- that this war is lost and that the surge is not accomplishing anything, as indicated by the extreme violence in Iraq yesterday."

Reid was simply saying he believes that, given the levels of carnage, in Iraq, Rice and Gates, and, maybe, even Bush--to the extent that he's capable--all know that the surge has not worked and the war is lost.

With respect to the context upon which Reid based his comment, it is Bush who has framed this war, all along, as a win or lose proposition. And he didn't call for a surge because he believed we were winning the war. He called for it because it was to be the final attempt to turn things around. Well, it didn't turn things around, and Reid is simply stating the obvious--that the Bush administration knows this is true.

The spin that the right wing and the media are putting on Reid's words is beyond outrageous. CNN even asked Kyra Phillips, in Iraq, how this is affecting troop morale.

Here's a news flash for the media: your unwillingness to report the news accurately will do far more to hurt morale than anything Harry Reid said.

[endarkenment]

1. The war is lost. We lost the war. The war was unwinnable.

Until we stop running away from this, until we start acting like the grownups in the room, the ones who are not in denial, we aren't going to win the political struggle.

When one of us speaks the truth and the Bullshit Media System starts squawking "you can't say that", for once, instead of retreating into defensive explanations and back peddlings, our leaders need to stand up and say "oh yes I can say that, that's reality, deal with it".

Harry Reid spoke the truth. There is no spin that alters the reality: the Iraq War is a lost cause. Mission failed. The fault is not with our troops, the fault was and is with the mission itself.

[Fridays Child]

3. I'm not suggesting that Reid doesn't believe the war is lost.

I'm outraged by how the media has completely suppressed the point he was making--that the Bush administration knows it, too. Now, if they want to argue that they don't agree with him, that's fine, and Gates has actually said something to that effect. But Bush and the media are parsing Reid's words in the most cynical and disingenuous manner possible, and it's bullshit.

[rodeodance]

2. McConnell echoed the same talking point today. So__harry--where are

you??---do not let this pass by as the truth.

[Atman]

4. My widely ignored post this morning...damn you Alec Baldwin!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=711360&mesg_id=711360

.

[Fridays Child]

5. Just gave yours a k and r. I hope Keith addresses this, tonight.

[Fridays Child]

6. Kicking. If someone has a link to video, please post it. Thanks.

[Fridays Child]

7. One more kick just because this crap really ticks me off.

[david-allen]

8. News flash for CNN

Here is a news flash for CNN, in their medium.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOUsew68w04

Time for them to pay some attention to their journalistic standards.
Hope someone will find useful the embed code for this video response, in blog or post.

David Allen